This invention relates to delivering content over networks in the form of wrap packages of cards, and more particularly, to a mobile-first authoring tool for the authoring of wrap packages on mobile devices, such as cellular phones, tablets and the like.
Media content developers have a variety of authoring tools, document formats and content delivery schemes that can be used to create and present media content to users over networks, such as the Internet. The content may be presented to users through a variety of mechanisms, including via web-sites, through the use of a mobile application (i.e., an “app”) and downloadable documents such as PDF files. Each of these delivery mechanisms, however, has limitations, particularly within a mobile computing environment.
PDF files, while relatively simple to author, have a number of limitations. The content of PDF files is static. Once created and delivered to a user over a network, there is no way for the viewer to interact, through the PDF file, with the distributor. For example, retailers commonly create PDF versions of product catalogs, which are distributed via a web page or email. When the PDF file is opened, the document is limited to only viewing. The viewer is unable to interact through the PDF file with the retailer, for instance, to ask questions about a particular item or to make a purchase. Also since PDFs are not dynamic documents, they need to be delivered to a consuming device as a single binary block. As a result, PDFs, especially if they are graphic intensive, are typically large files, which may be difficult to distribute, especially over wireless networks to mobile devices. Furthermore, most PDF files are created for viewing on desktop computers, which have relatively large display screens. As a result, the viewing of these PDF files on a mobile device, such as a mobile phone with a relatively small viewing screen, often provides a poor user experience.
There are a number of advantages and disadvantages of using web sites for presenting media content to users. Web sites are typically “destinations”, meaning a potential viewer is usually required to navigate to the web site to consume its content and functionality. Web sites are thus generally not considered as portable objects that can be readily delivered to consumers and other viewers, similar to messages. In addition, web sites are typically optimized for desktop computing, providing a rich opportunity for user interaction. With mobile devices, however, particularly mobile phones or wearable computing devices such as smart watches, small display screens and limited input/output capabilities, often results in a poor user experience. When viewing a web site through a screen on a mobile phone for example, it is often very difficult to read text and view images. It is also very difficult to input data and navigate from one web page to another. As a result, the user experience of accessing and viewing web sites on mobile computing devices is often frustrating, resulting in a poor user experience. In addition, the authoring of highly interactive, content-driven, web sites designed to create a positive user experience often requires a high degree of software expertise and sophistication. As a result, the creation of web sites designed for Internet commerce, for instance, is often very expensive and beyond the financial means of many small businesses and organizations.
More recently with the proliferation of “smart” mobile phonies and tablets, mobile applications (often referred to as “apps”) have become exceedingly popular. Mobile apps are typically “stand alone” or monolithic software programs, designed to perform a specific task or function, and intended to run on smart phones, tablet computers and other mobile devices. An extremely wide variety of apps are now commonplace, such as productively tools like email, calendars, etc., gaming, GPS services such as Google Maps, text and/or voice messaging, live communication such as Skype, online banking, etc., to name just a few. With their growing popularity, to a significant degree, apps have replaced web sites as the preferred method for content providers to create and distribute media content to mobile computing device users.
Apps also have many advantages and disadvantages. On the positive side, apps often provide content-rich, rewarding, user experiences, particularly on mobile devices. A well-designed app allows users to sequence through a number of views, presenting content to users in an orderly fashion. On the negative side, apps are typically “stand alone” software applications that do not easily interact with other software applications. As result, the functionality of apps is often limited, typically only capable of performing the specific task(s) that they were designed to perform, and working only with the specific endpoints contemplated at the time they were developed. As a result, it is often difficult, although not impossible, to create the necessary integration functionality for a user to purchase a product and/or service through the app. Also, the design and authoring of apps is typically very complex and requires a very high level of design engineering expertise to create apps that are professional-looking and appealing. In addition, apps typically are not cross-platform. App developers usually have to create and distribute multiple versions of the same app for the iOS/Apple, Android/Google and the Microsoft platforms for example. As a result, the development and maintenance costs associated with creating and distributing an app is complex and very expensive. Finally, apps typically have to be distributed through an application aggregator, such as the Apple App Store or Google Play. Apps, therefore, typically cannot be directly downloaded from the author/creator to users or consumers.
A system and method for more effectively distributing media content, application functionality and e-commerce related services is therefore needed.